Ref ID: 10624
Ref Type: Personal Communication
Presenters: Dieters, M. J. and Harding, K. J.
Date: 2003
Duration: 15 minutes
Event Name: CRC-SPF Annual Meeting 2003
Event Series:
Event Dates: 21-23 October 2003
Location: Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
Recipients:
Recipient Organisations:
Num Audience: 90
Organisers:
Individual Organisers:
Keywords: analysis/architecture/breeding/breeding objectives/breeding strategy/breeding value/breeding values/Caribbean pine/change/clonal/clonal test/clone/control/correlations/CRC-SPF/cross/data/decision/density/deployment/design/development/early/efficiency/evaluation/F1/F2/family/field/forestry/form/full-sib/future/gain/gene/generation/genetic/genetic control/genetic gain/genetic improvement/genetics/growth/hybrid/hybrids/improvement/institute/interaction/ITS/juvenile/maximise/meeting/molecular/molecular genetics/national/negative/new/New England/P/parameter/pilodyn/pine/pine hybrid/Pinus/Pinus elliottii/planting/population/predict/prediction/production/program/project/propagation/property/quality/Queensland/research/sample/screen/seed/seed orchard/selection/series/simulation/site/sites/species/stage/state/strategy/study/symposium/test/trait/trial/University of New England/value/variation/wood/wood properties/yield
Abstract: This presentation will outline enhancements to the breeding and selection of hybrid pines in Queensland for improved wood properties as a result of the research activities undertaken over the last 5 years, either directly or indirectly through the CRC for Sustainable Production Forestry (CRC-SPF) and its partners (then) Queensland Forestry Research Institute and the Australian National University, and in association with the University of New England, North Carolina State University and the University of Florida. Related research projects in molecular genetics undertaken in collaboration with Southern Cross University have also lead to enhanced understanding of the genetic control of wood properties and quality traits, and are opening new opportunities for future enhancements to selection and breeding of hybrid pines in Queensland. However, this is the subject of a separate presentation by Robert Henry at this meeting and so will not be discussed further here. An integrated set of research projects either directly funded by the CRC-SPF through project A6, or research projects involving CRC-SPF staff have brought about significant changes to the breeding and selection of hybrid pines in Queensland. These projects and their major achievements included: · Establishing breeding objectives for structural sawn wood funded by the FWPRDC, resulting in the development of MAXDEPLOY which has allowed the optimisation of sampling (for wood properties) strategies in the third series of clonal tests (to be measured and sampled in 2004). Work was conducted in association with Nuno Borralho, Bruce Greaves, Carl Grosser and Luis Apiolaza. · Enhanced genetic parameter estimates for the parental species and the hybrid between slash (Pinus elliottii) and Caribbean (P. caribaea var. hondurensis) pine growth, form and wood properties. This is the results of work conducted under project A6 in collaboration between ourselves and Heidi Dungey, Dominic Kain, Jeremy Brawner, Bailian Li, and Peter Kanowski. These parameters have been used to predict breeding values for the parental species and the hybrid. · Simulation of hybrid breeding strategies suitable for the genetic improvement of hybrids was a major focus of Project A6. Heidi Dungey and Richard Kerr presented results of the first simulation program (HYPERSIM) at the Hybrid Breeding Symposium in April 2000. Subsequently, the simulation program was extensively rewritten by Richard Kerr to include epistatic gene action and additional breeding strategies. The updated program (XSIM) was used to re-run the simulations, and the results clearly indicated that a breeding strategy involving the development of a synthetic hybrid will yield the highest genetic gains as long as the correlation between pure and hybrid populations is not negative. These results have lead to a decision to implement a synthetic breeding strategy for the further improvement of hybrid pines in Queensland. · Investigation of early and indirect selection for wood properties formed part of Dominic Kain’s PhD thesis that has recently been accepted by the Australian National University. Dominic’s results indicated that spiral grain and wood density can be reliably selected for in Queensland hybrid pines through the use of bark-window assessments using a Pilodyn and a butterfly protractor respectively (equivalent to the Spiralite). Further, studies of age-age correlations indicated that efficiency of selection for density and spiral grain would be greatly increased by selection 3 – 4 years after planting. · Analysis of growth and from data from the second series of field tests of slash x Caribbean pine hybrid clones, by Mark Dieters in collaboration with Dudley Huber at the University of Florida, indicated that gain from clonal testing could be enhanced by using as few as three clonal replicates per site, and reducing the selection age to 4 years after planting. Further, these analyses also indicated that clone x site interactions were relatively unimportant by 4 years after planting on both well drained and poorly drained sites. · Screening of elite series II clones for density and microfibril angle by Terry Copley and Kevin Harding indicated that preselection of hybrid pine clones for growth and form traits in field tests, has not adversely impacted on the amount of variation between clones within full-sib families. The results (outlined above) from these projects have resulted in substantial changes to the breeding and clonal testing of hybrid pines in Queensland, and a much greater emphasis on selection for wood properties in the future clonal tests. Some of these changes include: 1. Breeding values are now used routinely for many aspects of the genetic improvement of hybrid pines in Queensland, including: design of crossing programs; prediction of genetic gain; selection of advanced generation plus-trees to form new breeding populations; culling of seed orchards; and selection of families to initiate new clonal tests. 2. A major shift in the breeding strategy for the genetic improvement of hybrid pines in Queensland has been approved. To date, breeding has relied primarily on a form of reciprocal recurrent selection and the deployment of F1 and F2 hybrids (as families or clones). Simulation results indicated that under the genetic architecture observed in the slash x Caribbean pine hybrid and the parental species, the implementation of a synthetic breeding strategy will maximise future gains. Further, it is anticipated that under a synthetic strategy, implementation of population improvement for wood properties will become economically and logistically feasible. 3. Indirect selection for wood properties (density and spiral grain) will be used to screen the top 25% of clones in the Series III clones in 2004. Wood samples will then be collected from the top 10% of clones, and the samples assessed using Silviscan for density and microfibril angle evaluation. The clones will be 4 years of age when the trials are measured – which represents a reduction of 2 years in the selection age (determined on the basis of results outlined above). Selection of more juvenile clones will allow Series III clones to be deployed more rapidly, and deliver more clones that are more amenable to vegetative propagation. 4. MAXDEPLOY will be used to further refine the sampling strategy to be employed in the Series III clonal tests next year. As the final stage of Project A6, it is planned to document the genetic improvement strategy for hybrid pines in Queensland. This work will be completed by June 2004, and be implemented directly in the hybrid breeding and clonal testing program managed by DPI Forestry
Notes: Entered by Jill Butterworth (28/10/2003)
Address: m.dieters@uq.edu.au
Reprint: Not in File
Program: SPF Genetic Improvement
Project: A6
Deliverable:
Confidentiality: Confidential to All Partners
Availability: Online
Report: Annual Report 2003/4
Type: Presentation